A dimension is a data category. Typical dimensions are Product, Geography, and Time. .
A dimension table is a logical container within an OLAP model. A dimension table includes one or more relational tables defining a potential Essbase dimension. A dimension table can join to other dimension tables, forming a dimension branch.
The data needed for analysis in Essbase applications determines which source tables used to create dimensions. See Defining User Needs. When selecting source tables for dimensions, select tables that include the maximum amount of information about the data category (dimension).